London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Hong Kong businesses ask: will quarantine shift convince Beijing to reopen?

Hong Kong businesses ask: will quarantine shift convince Beijing to reopen?

City’s largest chamber of commerce expresses hope new rules will convince central government in a way that near-zero local infection rate has not.

As Hong Kong further tightened what were already some of the world’s strictest Covid-19 policies, the city’s business sector expressed one clear hope – that it would be the final criteria needed to convince Beijing to reopen the border.

Foreign business groups, meanwhile, broadly praised the government’s anti-pandemic efforts, but also urged it to place equal importance on re-establishing global travel to avoid risking the city’s status as an international financial hub.

On Tuesday, health authorities confirmed two imported, fully vaccinated coronavirus infections, bringing the local tally to 12,349, with 213 related deaths.

The new cases involved an arrival from the Philippines, and another who have travelled through Europe, visiting Spain, Greece, Portugal and Turkey. Fewer than five cases tested preliminary positive.

Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu on Monday revealed that from November 12 most diplomatic personnel and top business executives would no longer enjoy the ability to skip compulsory quarantine upon arriving in Hong Kong.

Truck drivers bringing necessary goods across the border will be among the few groups who still qualify for quarantine exemptions.


Only a handful of groups, including cross-border truck drivers, air and cargo ship crew, and government officials, will be allowed to continue entering the city without mandatory hotel isolation.

That policy shift will be worth it if it changes how Beijing views the city’s approach, according to some.

“We hope this measure will be the last criteria needed to allow the reopening of the border,” said George Leung Siu-kay, CEO of the 4,000-member Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

Leung said he hoped the latest move would be able to accomplish what a recent streak of 51 days without a community infection had not.

“The Hong Kong community has worked very hard to raise vaccination rates, and we have achieved basically zero infections for a significantly long period,” he said.

The European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau, meanwhile, said it agreed with steps the government was taking to reopen the border, but wanted more predictability and transparency when it came to how countries were assigned the Covid-19 risk levels that determined quarantine lengths.

It also called for the government to increase the number of hotels designated for handling mandatory isolation for returning residents.

“The EU Office appreciates the ongoing efforts of the Hong Kong authorities in preventing the spread of Covid-19 and welcomes steps to open up the border with mainland China to facilitate cross-border activities,” it said.

“However, aiming to reopen the border for international travel is equally essential in upholding Hong Kong’s status as an international financial hub. This is important not least for maintaining the business ties between Europe and Hong Kong.”


The plea echoed recent calls from foreign business chambers fast running out of patience with the city’s zero-Covid policy. Both the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and its US counterpart have publicly warned the strategy was threatening the city’s financial hub status.

On Tuesday, the US Consulate General urged the government to come up with a road map or offer signposts for reopening Hong Kong to global travellers, in a way that addressed public health concerns and provided more certainty for businesses.

“The US Consulate General hopes for greater dialogue and transparency regarding testing and quarantine measures that affect Hong Kong as a place to live and do business,” a spokesperson said while marking its appreciation of the government’s efforts in combating the pandemic.

The Philippine consulate said the new measure was tough, but it would have minimal effect on its operation, while Japan’s consulate acknowledged the Hong Kong government’s move and said it was “closely communicating” with local officials.

Monday’s latest policy change means top executives in banking, securities and futures, and insurance will serve the same mandatory quarantine – at a government-approved hotel for up to 21 days – as everyone else when re-entering the city.

“We are doing this to ensure that the risk is reduced to the minimum, because as you can see, the cases that occurred in Hong Kong [these days] are imported cases, and we have to ensure that the risk of the whole society being affected by such infected cases is kept to the minimum,” Chief Secretary Lee said.

The government has publicly conceded the move, and with a controversial decision to mandate a 14-day quarantine for recovered Covid-19 patients, are bargaining chips aimed at convincing Beijing to reopen the border, closed since February 2020.


Simon Lee Siu-po, co-director of the international business and Chinese enterprise programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the latest policy shift was being made without knowing how it would be received in advance.

“It’s a political move to show [Beijing] the city is making an effort,” he said. “It’s like a gamble or experiment.”

Hong Kong, in sticking with its zero-Covid strategy, has in recent months appeared to be going in the opposite direction of overseas locations such as the European Union, Britain, Thailand and Singapore, all of which have been gradually opening their doors under a policy of living with the virus.

But Simon Lee predicted the city would not suffer a significant economic loss or an exodus of foreign companies as long as the financial sector could still trade electronically.

“It’s just more inconvenient to come to Hong Kong,” he said.

The Post has contacted the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies and the consulates general of Canada, Britain, and Australia for comment. The Russian consulate declined to comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×